How To's

LG Optimus Q for Straight Talk/Net10 Full Review

The LG Optimus Q is a full touchscreen with QWERTY Android sporting a newer Android OS in the form of version 2.3.4. This is more of a mid Level device that adds the QWERTY keyboard for easy text entry. The phone is offered by both Net10 and Straight Talk. To be honest, we're not quite sure why because most people would opt for the Straight Talk plan as it is $5 cheaper and offers the same exact coverage area.

What's in the box

LG Optimus Q

4gb micro sd (pre-installed)

Charger Plug

Charge/Data cable

Battery

Battery Cover

First Impression

The Optimus Q is an entry to mid level Android that looks and feels like a quality device. Off the bat, we noticed more heft when compared to the other 2 Androids offered by Straight Talk/Net10 but this of course is due to the physical QWERTY keyboard. Also as you would also expect, physical dimensions are also slightly larger, especially in thickness compared to the others. This doesn't really bother us considering we get the addition of a keyboard. The phone is still much smaller than those huge form factor Androids that have be come prevalent.

If you've done any Google searching for this phone, don't be confused by the name because this is not the same phone as the other LG Optimus Q. This Optimus Q is a completely different phone with a newer OS. Taking a look around the phone, we find a very simple design. The left hand side houses the volume toggles and charge/data port. The right hand side is home to the camera quick launch. The 4 standard Android buttons below the screen are of the physical push variety and are surrounded by silver trim.

Sliding the keyboard out, we find a nicely sized 4 row keyboard. The interesting thing about the keyboard is that it can be used to navigate without having to use the touchscreen or the 4 front buttons as the QWERTY also contains these buttons.

Overall, we really liked the Optimus Q. The full QWERTY is very user friendly and we really liked the fact that it can be used for all navigation without having to use the touchscreen or other buttons. LG also did a good job keeping the size and weight down despite the addition of the keyboard.

Usability and Features

The Optimus Q comes with the newer Android Version 2.3 (Gingerbread). Version 2.3 comes with updated themes, modified keyboards, improved copy/paste options, better power management, and improved application management. We were impressed by the fact that Straight Talk/Net10 used a newer Android version despite the phone being of the Entry Level variety.

The addition of the QWERTY scores high on the Features and Usability scale. The keyboard adds another level to the User Interface as it essentially serves as a secondary input device. Very cool if you aren't all that fond of touchscreens but you still want to experience the Android OS. Of course this makes it a superior texting phone over it's touchscreen counterparts as there's nothing like feeling the keys when typing.

As with any Android device, the feature factor is high. Like any good Android, you get full access to the App market. Of course you also get lots of great apps out of the box including Youtube, Facebook , improved navigation via Google Navigation, Google maps, Gmail and more.

The Optimus Q is by far the most usable of the Androids offered by Straight Talk/Net10. You will pay a little extra for this convenience , get a marginally larger/heavier phone but this might be a small price to pay for the QWERTY convenience. Compared to other Straight Talk/Net10 Androids, the Optimus Q has a faster 800mhz processor and higher resolution 3.2mp camera which also add to the higher price.

Straight Talk or Net10

We've pondered the reason why both companies offer the same phone. Now we use the word "companies" liberally because Net10 and Straight Talk are one in the same. The fact that both are offering the same phone, tells us they both provide the same exact coverage, probably via the Sprint network. Another thing to note is that the Unlimited plan is required for this phone on both Straight Talk and Net10. So you may be wondering, like us, what the difference is? Fact is, there is none. The choice is simple, go with Straight Talk because that will save you an additional $5 over the Net10 plan. If you're already on Net10, then it may be easier to just keep Net10 as it may be slightly easier to port the number, but we doubt it. So the bottom line, go with Straight Talk for the sake of saving the 5 bucks. May not sound like much but this of course saves $60 year over year.

Conclusion

The Optimus Q is an excellent choice for big time texters and touchscreen haters alike. The keyboard offers yet another way to interact with the phone which we really like. You can completely bypass annoying touchscreen quirks like selecting specific text for copy paste functions by simply using the keyboard. Of course you pay a little more for this convenience but remember that you get a slightly more powerful processor and higher resolution camera. All in all, this is an excellent phone that we really enjoyed testing.